Reversing the trend of aging farmers starts by teaching students how to grow their own food.
That, according to 25-year-old Dave Wolpin who runs a farm in Bloomfield, which is located just outside of Hampton. Wolpin tells CHSJ News he believes it all comes down to education, saying the first subject of the day should agriculture and nutrition.
Stats Canada reporting the structure of agriculture has changed significantly over the last twenty years with fewer but larger farms and the average age of farm operators increasing from 47 and a half years old to 54 years old.
The spruce budworm is only one and a half centimetres long, but if measures aren't taken this tiny caterpillar could spell big trouble for our forests.
Population outbreaks of the bug happen about every thirty years and one is thought to be coming.
UNB Professor in the faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management David MacLean tells CHSJ News the insects, which feast on spruce and balsam fir trees, are devastating in big numbers. He says during an outbreak of spruce budworm, you go from barely being able to find the insect to seeing hundreds on a single branch.
MacLean says their numbers have been growing in Quebec and they're expected to move east. The last big outbreak in New Brunswick hit between the late '70s and early '90s and half of the province's forests were defoliated.
He says an intervention strategy would involve intensive monitoring and early detection. $18-million being allocated by the federal government for an intervention programme.
A heads up to those of you who plan on traveling on the Route 7 highway today.
RCMP telling CHSJ News the highway is very slippery. They say there's black ice on the road from Saint John to Fredericton so you should be extremely careful when driving.
City Police investigating an assault on the West side.
They tell CHSJ News a woman was screaming in an apartment in the Duke Street area around midnight and had to be taken to hospital, while another person was taken into custody and will be appearing before a judge.
Police say the woman's injuries are not considered serious.
Provincial Health Minister Ted Flemming is scratching his head wondering why the Liberals are after him about not including test strips for diabetes in the new provincial prescription drug plan.
He says it baffles him as to why anyone would think a medical supply that is not a drug would be included in a drug plan.
Flemming maintains the test strips are not considered a drug but the government is working with people with diabetes and making progress.
Draft regulations for the New Brunswick Drug Plan are now online for public review and comment
The regulations will establish premiums and co-payments, outline the rules for enrolment and also the requirements for insurers and pharmacies.
Health Minister Hugh Flemming claims the plan will help New Brunswickers avoid catastrophic drug costs and ensure that prescription drug insurance is available to every New Brunswicker.
To look at the draft regulations click here
Finance Minister Blaine Higgs is pledging to fix the problems plaguing provincial government pensions despite the flak he's getting over the changeover to the shared risk model.
He says when you talk to some of the unions who say it won't work for them now, it's interested that the Shared Risk Model seemed to work for them when their pensions were about to collapse.
Higgs says he finds that ironic.
Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media are a great means of connecting with the community and getting your personal message out to the world--and Saint Johners are becoming increasingly connected online.
That probably explains the popularity of The Saltys. The annual social media awards honour the local people that make our online lives a little more interesting.
Craig Allen of Uptown Saint John tells CHSJ News the finalists tend to exemplify a positive attitude toward Saint John and offer something unique in their social media presence. CHSJ News Reporter Julia Wright is nominated in the Twitter Person of the Year Category.
There will be a party at the Alehouse next Thursday where the winners will be announced. To cast your vote and for more information, click here
It's been an intense series of snowstorms this week...and with the banks still towering over many densely-populated streets, city crews are working to ensure the roadways stay clear.
It's been quite a battle according to Transportation Commissioner Kevin Rice. He tells CHSJ News they've reached a bit of an impasse when it comes to the Southern Peninsula, Old North End, and lower West Side because there's no more room to push the snow back to. There have also been problems with keeping some of the snow plowing equipment on the roads.
During the day and night crews will be working to remove snow and haul it to their snow dump by truck or also do what's referred to as free blowing of snow onto lawns.
Rice says rain in the forecast tonight could also complicate matters with localized flooding.
Meantime, a snowplow operator making his rounds came across a little girl dressed in a snow suit shortly after 4:30 this morning. Police were called to make sure she wouldn't be harmed.
No word on a cause as the fire department investigates what started a fire early Thursday morning on the west side along Field Road off the Acamac Backland Road.
It was contained to the basement with one person suffered smoke inhalation.
A local company that helps people with disabilities find employment is getting a major boost from the government.
Key Industries on Charlotte Street is getting more than $68,000 dollars from the Opportunities Fund.
It's predicted the project will help 13 Saint Johners find jobs. It'll be used to host of workshops for people with disabilities to develop life and employment skills, and also find work placements in the retail, maintenance, and hospitality sectors.
Since 2006, the Opportunities Fund has helped over 34,000 people with disabilities across Canada.
New Brunswickers are being warned to watch out for a new kind of investment in the binary options market.
Binary options are similar to bets on whether an asset will increase or decrease in value in a fixed, and often very short, period.
They're sometimes referred to as "all or nothing" options." People who buy these options--which are often hawked through ads, email, social media or over the phone--are not protected by New Brunswick securities laws. Buying them may put any money invested at significant risk.
If you've been approached by a company offering these types of investments, you're encouraged to contact the commission immediately. For more details, click here
Enough complaining about monster drifts and uncleared streets--what's the positive side of all this snow?
Kate Trecartin tells CHSJ News she parked overnight on Peters Street, then returned to find her car completely encased from bumper to bumper--with three feet of the white stuff separating her from her car door.
Fortunately, some good Samaritans came to the rescue. Two men in a truck worked for 40 minutes to do what Trecartin estimated would have been a three-hour job on her own. She says it was an excellent reminder of the community spirit many people have here in Saint John.
Many others have reported similar Random Acts of Shovelling--so if you've got a snowblower, take a hint and don't just plow on by your neighbours struggling to clear a path.
There might be 6-foot snowbanks barricading the streets and more ice pellets and rain on the way--but that won't deter 80 local runners from competing in the so-called Hypothermic Half Marathon this Sunday.
The snow-or-shine winter road race has been happening in Saint John for the past decade. According to Running Room Atlantic events coordinator John Acheson, the 21-kilometer route from Cape Spencer to Lily Lake is going to be well-salted and safety will be a top priority.
Acheson notes that the course is fairly hilly, but levels out about halfway through. Fortunately for the intrepid athletes, the forecast for Sunday doesn't include any precipitation and is fairly mild.
The runners get shuttled out to Cape Spencer then run back to Lily Lake. The Hypothermic Half Marathon begins at 8:30 on Sunday morning and there are still spots for runners to sign up--if they dare.
For more information click here
The 2014 Give to raise 900 thousand dollars for lab equipment that will be used to make cancer treatment better at the Regional Hospital is off to a good start with 250 thousand dollars pledged by Bruce Dowd and his family which has been matched by the John T. McMillan Junior Foundation.
Jeff MacDonald, a member of the Foundation's Board, says John McMillan Junior died from an aggressive form of leukemia in 2005 at the age of 34.
The head of Stem Cell Therapy at the Regional Hospital, Dr. Terrence Comeau tells CHSJ News cancer treatment is changing for the better and the new lab equipment will analyse the patient's D-N-A, which is unique, with the treatment individualised specifically for that person. Both diagnosis and treatment will be quicker.
Dr. Terrence Comeau says analysing D-N-A is how you hit cancer where it hurts and no two cancers are created equal.
The Regional Hospital Foundation also announcing the 2013 Give reached its goal of raising 850 thousand dollars to buy equipment that will be used during neurosurgeries.
An overnight snow parking ban has been declared for the South/Central Peninsula effective 11pm this evening through to 7am tomorrow morning.
For tonight’s ban only, free parking will be available in the Peel Plaza Parking Garage. Offer valid between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
Photo credit: Sean O’Shaughnessy.
If you use Rothesay Avenue and Bayside Drive regularly, you could be breaking the law without even knowing it.
The city is reminding drivers that access to that area has changed with no vehicle access to Bayside Drive from Russell Street.
Trying to cross the multiple lanes of traffic at the intersection is considered a hazardous operation of a vehicle and could result in fines for anyone caught doing it.
You can expect more signage to go up in the near future: right now the road markings don't match up with what the sign says, and they're looking to fix that as well.
Check out a map of the correct route to use here
Due to a large amount of snow on the roof of the Aquatic Centre, and the risk it presents pedestrians, the sidewalk along the east side of St. Patrick Street, from King Street to Union Street, has been temporarily closed.
The sidewalk will remain closed until further notice. Pedestrians are asked to observe the closure and be vigilant of other areas that may be experiencing falling snow.
Saint John Energy is dealing with what's described as a major power outage in the city. It occurred around 4:30 and it believed to have something to do with a transformer and will likely be later this morning before the power is back on for those affected.
Alarms were activated in the north end on Main Street North and in the uptown on Union Street and Charlotte Street. CHSJ News has also been told by a caller to our 648-3000 newsline, people along Golden Grove Road on the east side are affected as well.
The latest fall of snow in the Saint John area dumping 13 centimeters of snow at the airport. It had stopped by around 3 this morning but Steve Fougere of Environment Canada tells CHSJ News another disturbance is moving in tomorrow.
Fougere says there will be increasing cloudiness tomorrow morning then just a couple of centimeters of snow, ice pellets and then rain.
It's thought the Saint John area might be receiving anywhere from 20 to 30 millimeters of rain.
We also have a report of a power outage in the city which happened around 4:30. There's no word yet from Saint John Energy on what might have caused it but alarms were activated in the north end and uptown.
